MARGAO
Congress MLAs representing Cuncolim and Velim constituencies Clafacio Dias and Filipe Neri Rodrigues have called upon PWD Minister Sudin Dhavlikar seeking details of the NH-17 expansion plans and the construction of the bypasses at Cuncolim and Dandeavaddo with people of the two areas demanding the alignment prepared by the consultant two years ago.
The two MLAs called up the PWD Minster with the local residents of Cuncolim and Chinchinim demanding bypasses as per the alignment finalized by the consultant around two years ago.
Both Clafacio and Filipe impressed upon the PWD Minister to clear doubts and confusion prevailing in the minds of the villagers of the two villages over the alignment of the bypasses.
The Cuncolim MLA informed that the PWD Minister has told him that the national highway officials are not in favour of the Cuncolim bypass running parallel to the railway tracks because of the cost factor. “I have made it abundantly clear that the NH cannot keep the residents of Cuncolim in the dark over the bypass alignment,” Clafacio said, adding that the PWD Minister has assured to hold a power point presentation of the Cuncolim bypass before finalizing the proposal.
The Cuncolim MLA admitted that the bypass proposed via the town will result in hardships in the future given that it is passing through densely populated areas of the town.
Residents of Dandeavaddo in Chinchinim village of Velim constituency have been demanding a bypass on grounds that the present traffic on the NH-17 has made life of the local residents miserable.
In fact, Chinchinim Deputy Sarpanch Valentino Barretto, who had taken up the issue with the local MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues, said that the highway expansion proposed by the centre will only
increase the traffic passing through Dandeavaddo, putting the residents to great hardships.
